TomandJerry
Well-known member
- Oct 1, 2013
- 11,450
"Can you invent a derby - as Major League Soccer has done with Sunday's match between the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC? The former - founding members of the league in 1995 (albeit under the name of the MetroStars) already have sworn enemies in DC United, but now have a new derby to contest, with Manchester City-owned NYC FC moving onto their patch this season.
Most footballing rivalries are based on decades - sometimes even centuries - of animosity, so can the New York derby be described as a rivalry at all?
"Not really," says Bradley Wright-Phillips, the Red Bulls' top scorer last season. "DC United are our rivals. There's no history between the Red Bulls and New York City, it's just that we share the same city.
Wright-Phillips, the former Manchester City striker, might not feel the tension that comes with a traditional derby, but the rivalry is already fierce between the two sets of supporters.
"The fans don't like each other," says Nick Chavez, a NYC FC fan and blogger. "NYC FC fans have taken a lot of abuse, not just from Red Bull fans but from fans around MLS. It should be a spectacle unlike anything else ever seen in an MLS match."
For all that MLS has undeniably grown over the past decade or so, the division has struggled to cultivate the sort of rivalry that drives almost every other division around the world. The league is counting on the New York derby to become North American football's defining contest.
However, the introduction of New York City FC has fluttered a red rag at the Red Bulls - with both clubs now scrambling for ticket sales and supporters. The two teams might not have played their first derby, but the battle has long been raging off the field - with billboards and adverts promoting the clubs commonplace across the Big Apple; overlooking freeways, on the subway and even in Times Square."
Good times for American 'soccer' and the growth of the MLS
Most footballing rivalries are based on decades - sometimes even centuries - of animosity, so can the New York derby be described as a rivalry at all?
"Not really," says Bradley Wright-Phillips, the Red Bulls' top scorer last season. "DC United are our rivals. There's no history between the Red Bulls and New York City, it's just that we share the same city.
Wright-Phillips, the former Manchester City striker, might not feel the tension that comes with a traditional derby, but the rivalry is already fierce between the two sets of supporters.
"The fans don't like each other," says Nick Chavez, a NYC FC fan and blogger. "NYC FC fans have taken a lot of abuse, not just from Red Bull fans but from fans around MLS. It should be a spectacle unlike anything else ever seen in an MLS match."
For all that MLS has undeniably grown over the past decade or so, the division has struggled to cultivate the sort of rivalry that drives almost every other division around the world. The league is counting on the New York derby to become North American football's defining contest.
However, the introduction of New York City FC has fluttered a red rag at the Red Bulls - with both clubs now scrambling for ticket sales and supporters. The two teams might not have played their first derby, but the battle has long been raging off the field - with billboards and adverts promoting the clubs commonplace across the Big Apple; overlooking freeways, on the subway and even in Times Square."
Good times for American 'soccer' and the growth of the MLS
